Exploring holocene changes in palynological richness in northern Europe--did postglacial immigration matter?

ABSTRACT: In mid to high latitudes glacial and interglacial cycles have repeatedly changed the area available for plant growth. The speed at which plants are able to colonize areas at the onset of an interglacial is hypothesized to limit their distribution ranges even today (migrational lag). If the spread of plants would have been generally slow then plant diversity in previously glaciated areas would be expected to increase over time. We explore this hypothesis using results from six palynological investigations from two previously glaciated regions: central Sweden and north-eastern Germany. Rarefaction, slope of rank order abundance, and taxa accumulation plots were used to evaluate richness and evenness in pollen data in an attempt to separate richness from evenness. These analyses show little c

SUBMITTER: Giesecke T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3519870 | biostudies-literature | 2012

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature